When people think of Hawaiian food, tasty tropical fruits often come to mind. However, there is one lunch dish from the islands with a special place in Hawaiian hearts: the loco moco. Below is more insight into the tasty meal and it’s local origins.

What Is the Loco Moco?

History

In 1949, a group of local teenage athletes from the Lincoln Wreckers Athletic Club frequented a diner called Lincoln Grill in Hilo, Hawaii. The restaurant served a mix of Asian breakfast and American fare.

The young people didn’t have much money but were always hungry, so the diner owners created the loco moco—a calorie-heavy, protein-rich meal they could afford. This dish features a bed of white rice plus a hamburger patty topped with gravy. 

Today

Tourists and locals can find loco mocos on lunch and dinner menus across the Hawaiian islands. In 2014, Chef Hideaki Miyoshi from the Tokkuri Tei restaurant created the world’s largest loco moco, weighing 1,126 pounds. The dish included 600 pounds of rice, 300 scrambled eggs, 200 pounds of ground beef, and 200 pounds of gravy. The chef spent 3.5 hours cooking, and the final product fed area homeless.

Some restaurants use fried eggs, while others add scrambled eggs or customize the dish to the diner’s preference. Food connoisseurs from Japan to Samoa and Guam have personal origins of this dish and add it to their breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. 

This dish is full of carbohydrates, protein, grain, and calories, making it the ideal comfort food. Not only do you cover multiple food groups, but you also can fill up for relatively cheap. Each ingredient is delicious in its own way, but together they complement each other deliciously.

If you’re interested in trying a loco moco, head to Tasty Crust Restaurant in Oahu, HI. The Wailuku diner has a 78-year history of offering affordable American cuisine like pancakes, eggs, and rice with spam. Call the restaurant at (808) 244-0845 for information on their menu of delicious offerings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.